Cilleros Kevin

Tropical areas shelter a high diversity, which is also noticed for freshwater fish species. Local fish assemblages host several species, with high differences in species composition between assemblages. Evolutive processes linked to evolutionary history (speciation, dispersion, isolation) and ecological processes (environmental filtering, competition) have been recognized as mechanisms that generate and maintain biodiversity. However little is known on how these processes have generated these patterns.

My PhD project aims at understanding how ecological and evolutive processes structure freshwater fish assemblages of French Guiana. To do so, I will describe assemblages using 3 different dimensions of biodiversity : taxonomic diversity, phylogenetic diversity and functional diversity. Relationships between these 3 dimensions can help to uncover processes and their effect on community assembly and diversity patterns.

I will also assess the efficiency of the metabarcoding approach with enviromental DNA (eDNA) to allow a better sight on species composition in locations that can’t be sampled with methods currently available.